HAMPDEN, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- Six-thousand-five-hundred athletes representing 165 countries competed in the 2015 Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles. One of the the gold medal winners is from Winterport.

Kelsey Tripp is celebrating some great wins from the 2015 Special Olympics World Games. Kelsey ripped through the water pushing with all her might to snag a spot on the podium in Los Angeles.

"I was thinking that woo-hoo! My teammates are there, my coaches are there, and my mentor Bernie was there. And I'm like okay, I got this people. I'm going to win this for my country," said Tripp.

This 18-year-old let her score do the talking. She earned gold in the 50 meter freestyle, silver in the 50 meter backstroke and fifth place in relay race.

Her coach, Andrea Lee, remembers when Kelsey first started swimming six years ago.

"She could not swim. She wouldn't even put her face in the water. She couldn't even swim the whole length of the pool," said Lee.

Her mother, Lynne Crooker, has been beaming with joy.

"She trained very hard for this. I'm so happy for her. I want her to be confident in everything she does like she's done in swimming," said Crooker.